


Reconciliation

by Aiskuriimuneko



Category: Monsuno
Genre: Gen, a bit of a character study mostly centered around chase, but i don't do long fics so its kinda cut short with only 2 chapters, lots of hurt before the comfort comes lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28343868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aiskuriimuneko/pseuds/Aiskuriimuneko
Summary: Post Season 3. Chase has nightly visions that all relate to Six. What could this mean?
Relationships: Chase Suno & Six
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Reconciliation Part I**

* * *

It is night-time on Cloud Carrier Epsilon and Chase Suno is twisting in his sheets, his body covered in sweat. He is experiencing a vision, depicting Six sitting in his prison cell. Six' back is turned to Chase as he is hunched over and hugging his knees, completely silent. He slowly turns his head to Chase, his face dark and unreadable.

All is quiet except for the sound of Six' voice reverberating in the darkness of Chase' mind.

_It is as though I was meant to fight alongside you._

Chase awakes, startled and gasping. He finds himself in a dark room, the quarters that he shares with Bren, Dax and Beyal. Chase sees them all asleep on their respective beds, which calms his frazzled mind somewhat. He sits on the edge of his bed, looking down at his feet.

 _What was that about?_ thinks Chase. He hasn't had a vision in months. He looks at Beyal's sleeping form and thinks about waking him up but refrains from doing so. Chase stands from his bed and makes his way to the kitchen to get some water.

With a half-empty glass in hand, he retraces the path back to his room until he stops in his tracks. Chase bites his lip and ponders shortly on his next action before deciding a quick trip to Six' cell wouldn't hurt. No one would have to know about it.

Six was let off fairly easy compared to Klipse, especially considering most of his criminal actions were directly related to his father. His cell was isolated from the adult prisoners and the accommodations were on the nicer albeit more basic side. However, his room was under constant surveillance. Escape was unthinkable.

Because of this, the same security measures didn't apply for Six as they did his father. A mere swipe of Chase' security card and an optic scan is enough to grant him access to the area of the prison facility that holds Six' cell. As there were fewer guards patrolling the halls at night, Chase makes sure to sneak around unnoticed. This is hardly the first time he has avoided being caught by S.T.O.R.M. onboard their own ships, friend or not.

Soon enough, Chase finds himself standing before the very cell his dream depicted but doubt settles in his gut. Before he has a chance to do much of anything, Chase lets reason win over curiosity and returns to his room in a hurry. He tries to forget the vision ever happened.

* * *

Cryptic images of Six continue to haunt Chase' mind the following night. As he rubs his eyes in the dark, Chase musters the courage to attempt another visit to Six' cell.

Once again, Chase finds himself at a loss for why he is here. His voice catches in his throat several times, constricted by uncertainty and hesitation. Chase almost loses the will to stay when a voice calls out softly from within.

"Who is that?"

Chase stiffens but leans closer to the door and answers just as quietly.

"It's. . .it's me. Chase."

Complete silence settles over the small holding area and Chase' heart is pounding. He awaits a response but gets none. As he is about to leave, his ears pick up soft footsteps from the other side of the secured door.

"Hello, brother. To what do I owe the pleasure of your rare visit?" Six asks from near the door, his voice much clearer with the closer proximity. Chase' eyes drift downwards as he is struggling for words once more. Why _did_ he come?

"I just. . .I wanted to know how you were doing."

The reply sounds awkward and lame, even to his own ears. Chase' fingers absentmindedly brush the steel door, fingernails lightly grazing the cold metal for lack of better things to do.

"I am alright," Six answers monotonously.

"Oh. . .that's good."

 _That vision was nothing but the result of indigestion_ , Chase thinks to himself with a smidge of frustration. He can't believe he wasted two nights doing nothing but worry over something that wasn't even tangible.

"Was that all?" comes Six' inquiry from behind the reinforced door.

Chase promptly leaves without a word.

* * *

Despite Chase telling himself otherwise, he is still having nightmares that all link back to Six. Chase was always shouting something to the clone whose back was turned to him. The more recent visions would include the clone's skin melting off his bones and his eyes falling out of their sockets. Chase was left petrified and screaming every time.

He decides to confide in Beyal in absolute secrecy. Chase is worried that these sleepless nights will hinder his judgement during missions and eventually reach the attention of the higher ups. Trey would be all over Chase' case if he screwed up, and Jon Ace would notice his tired demeanor and insist he take the time to rest, which is the last thing he needs. He doesn't need to sleep — except he actually really _does_ — he needs a way to resolve the nightmares _preventing_ him from sleeping. Hence the reason why he decides to tell Beyal about them.

"Most curious," says Beyal thoughtfully. The rest of the team had gone ahead to grab a Cloud Hopper for their new reconnaissance mission, while Chase had pulled Beyal aside for a moment to speak with him. "Given the details you have described to me, I can only advise you to seek out Six himself."

Chase rubs his weary face with a groan. He hadn't waited to share these strange visions with their one and only expert, only to receive an answer he already knew. "I already spoke to him last night, Beyal. Six is fine but the nightmares continue! What does this mean?"

"I am not certain. However, it is clear that there are unresolved matters between the two of you," Beyal speaks, words laced with a serious undertone. "No matter what you may think, these visions are foretelling you of events to come. You must attempt to speak to him once more. But do exercise caution, Chase. Six is not to be underestimated."

Beyal's words fail to dispel the uncertainties in Chase' mind but he decides to heed them anyway. For the third night in a row, Chase seeks out Six to talk to him.

"What is it now, brother?"

Chase looks down, somewhat speechless and confused. He sighs. "I don't know. I'm here because. . . because I've had visions about you for the past couple of nights. I don't know what they mean."

"Sadly, I cannot aid you in that regard, Chase."

Chase barely catches the words that Six proceeds to mutter under his breath, but he hears the faint disdain and he knows it's nothing pleasant. "What did you just say?"

"I said I expected this much from you. You do not waste a fraction of a second for someone like me unless you are given a reason to."

"Excuse me? _I_ don't?" Chase repeats, hotly. He likely would have been better off pretending he hadn't heard Six instead of asking him to repeat his insult, but the damage had been done. "That's rich of _you_ to say! You betrayed us, Six! Twice even!" Chase quickly remembers no one is supposed to know he's here and lowers his voice.

"I'm not the one at fault here. You could've walked away from your dad and joined us. But you didn't," he continues, feeling his sudden anger dissipate just as quickly as it had come. The memory of Six' betrayal and near success in stealing Lock still stings to this day. That had been months ago and he thought he was over it. He blames the visions entirely for even bringing up Six in the first place.

"It is certainly easy to preach about the right choice until you face a similar experience. I wonder," Six says, after a moment. "Do you truly believe you could heed your own advice if placed in my position?"

Chase pauses for a moment, perplexed by Six' words.

"Emmanuel Klipse may not be the perfect father, but yours is no saint either, Chase. Jeredy Suno worked with S.T.O.R.M. on several questionable projects. Surely even you must realize how unethical some of them were."

Chase' brows knit together as he processes what Six is implying. What is he talking about? _His_ dad hadn't — okay, using Chase' DNA for Lock's creation wasn't exactly something he had consented to but Lock was his buddy! _Although_ , the Wild Core explosive device that killed Quirkforce had been his father's original design. And that wasn't even _mentioning_ how his dad had lied about the disappearance of Chase' mom, betrayed his trust on multiple occasions and—

Chase bites his lip, his eyes blinking after having stared at the floor for a while. He proceeds to shake his head to rid himself of the negative thoughts sprouting from the dark seeds of Six' words. "No, that wasn't," Chase chuckles weakly, trying to find his words. They slip from his mind like sand rushing between spread fingers. "He didn't — that's not the point. _Your_ dad is corrupt and. . .you're too loyal to see what he's doing to you!"

There was silence on the other end of the cell door. Six sighs as if Chase is the one denying the truth, as if _he's_ the one trying to convey an important point. Chase shouldn't be feeling this defensive, shouldn't be dreading whatever Six was going to say next but he was, and he hated it.

"Getting a bit repetitive, aren't we? I will ask you this, then."

Chase' breath is stuck in his throat.

"If Jeredy Suno ordered you to, would you leave a friend behind for the sake of his cause? Or would you reject him and join his enemies?"

Chase' eyes widens, and his jaw goes slack. He has nothing to say.

"There is your answer."

Chase leaves the cell in a hurry once more.

* * *

Chase appears again the next night despite his better judgement. It seems the situation worsens with every visit, but he has no other choice but to come. What's worse is that none of what Six had said the previous night was untrue, and it scared Chase to think how similar he was to his brother in that regard. There are bags under Chase' eyes, and his mind feels fragmented as he sits down on the cold tile floors with his back to Six' cell door. For a while, Chase says nothing, his silence prompting Six to speak.

"I tire of fighting you, Chase Suno. I do not wish to be hostile towards you, nor do I have the strength to."

Six sounds as exhausted as he says he is. Chase can relate to that.

"Me too," Chase says, defeated. He looks up at the ceiling, counting the lines in the air vent in hopes of tiring himself out, but realizes it would defeat the purpose of coming here unnoticed if he is found sleeping near the prison hold the following day. And so he talks, the words trickling out much easier now due to lack of proper sleep. "I really. . . really wanted to get to know you, you know."

_You really did feel like a brother to me._

Chase hears slight rustling behind the door. "Have those feelings changed?" Six asks. Chase must imagine the sad note to that question.

Chase turns his head to the side and shakes his head. Then he remembers that Six can't see the motion. "No. I don't think they have."

There's silence before Six replies. "I feel the same. Despite our current circumstances, I very much enjoyed our brief time spent together. With you and team CoreTech."

A bittersweet smile settles on Chase' face. It wasn't just him, then? "Maybe we could just. . .talk? There's a few things I'm curious about and I can't imagine solitary confinement being any fun to you."

"My imprisonment is warranted. I wasn't strong enough to protect my father and he is suffering now because of me."

Chase almost tells Six that Klipse deserves to rot in prison, but he's not up for another argument that will leave them both feeling like crap. Instead, he raises his hand to touch the pendant on his necklace. "None of this is your fault. This whole Monsuno thing is bigger than all of us. None of us asked for this."

That seems to be something they can both agree on. They chat for a little while until Chase' eyelids start to droop, and he almost falls asleep. He wishes Six a pleasant night before leaving and hears faint coughing in response.

If Six is bothered by his continued appearances outside his door the following nights, he doesn't show it. Chase spends time talking to him about anything and everything. Little things around the Cloud Carrier, sightings around the world, his own hopes and dreams. Six would talk about his own experiences since 'birth', most of which included his time carrying out Klipse' orders. Chase naps during the daytime and spends his nights talking to his brother. It isn't exactly an option during the day. Beyal asked him at one point if his visions had stopped and Chase gave him a half-truth and said that they had. They are less frequent, he'll admit, but they have yet to cease completely with his continued visits. In a way, he is grateful for that. It's a valid excuse to offer Jon Ace or Trey, should they find out he was doing this. And when all is said and done, he really enjoys his nightly visits to Six' cell. Chase doesn't want it to stop.

Six opens up a lot more over the course of their nightly chats as well. On few occasions he is even laughing, a soft laughter so unlike the ones that used to taunt him during their previous encounters. However, Chase has found that Six' coughing continues the more they talk, the more each day passes. At this point, it has reached a concerning level.

"You sound sick," Chase notes one night, out loud. "Want me to get a medic to check up on you?"

"No, I—" Six swallows. "I am fine. Please continue."

Chase doesn't buy it. "I'm serious. It sounds like it's only getting worse. I can get them and be back here in no time."

"Do not concern yourself with me, Chase. I am alright."

" _Six_ ," Chase stresses, fear seeping into his voice. Why is Six being so stubborn about this? "You're sick. Let me help you."

Six' next coughing fit sounds deeply unpleasant and painful. He heaves a few quick breaths, sounding as if he can't breathe properly. Chase' anxiety spikes as a result. "Chase, listen. You. . .cannot help me. It is. . .s'too late."

Chase rushes up to stand from the floor and presses himself close to the door. "What do you mean? Six, what's wrong?"

Six doesn't answer for a moment and Chase bangs his hand against the door in desperation, secrecy be damned.

"Six, answer me!"

Six' grueling chuckles meet his ears from near the door, sounding equally fearful and relieved. "I am. . .I am glad I could be a 'good' brother to you. . .in my final moments, Chase Suno. Take care."

"Six!"

Chase doesn't hear another response from the other side and his stomach drops. He takes a split second to contemplate what he's about to do before he swipes his security keycard against the lock pad and enters Six' cell for the first time. Six is lying on the floor, sprawled against the door with his back turned to Chase. Chase turns him over to check his condition and is shocked at what he sees.

Six is burning up. Sweat is coating his red tinted skin and the heat emitting from Six is astounding. Chase quickly tries to find a pulse and finds it in a weaken state, barely thrumming under the tips of his fingers. Six had been feeling this bad for days and he hadn't said anything. Amidst the late night conversations, the teasing and the retreats at daybreak, Chase had been gleefully ignorant of Six' condition this whole time.

He realizes with a nauseating sense of cruel irony, that this was what his vision had been warning him about all along.

Six is dying.

"Guards! Someone, anyone, I need help!" Chase shouts loudly, leaning down to wrap his arm around Six' unnaturally warm body. He wouldn't be able to carry him, but he could still try to drag him closer to the medical wing. Chase feebly shakes Six, feeling the sting of tears pressing against his eyes as he encourages, pleads and begs for Six to regain consciousness. "Come on, Six, stay with me. Please, _please_ , wake up. Guards!"

Two S.T.O.R.M. soldiers finally enter the cell and rushes to his side, puzzled at the scene before them. Before they can ask, Chase is already shouting. "Don't just stand there! He needs serious medical attention! Help me carry him!"

Six is easily picked up by one of the two guards on their way to the medical bay, while the other informs the medics of the prisoner's current condition with his earpiece communicator. A couple of nurses later meet them halfway with a stretcher, carefully placing Six on it before rushing back from where they came. Chase can only helplessly tag along as Six is taken away, regret and guilt eating him up from the inside. He can only hope they aren't too late, can only hope his stupid decision of not telling anyone won't end up claiming Six' life. He sends a silent prayer to whoever is listening, not usually the type to ask for help from the heavens except when his mother disappeared but if there was ever a time to hope for the best, this was it.

_Please, don't let this be the end for him. Don't let him die because of me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Reconciliation Part II**

* * *

It is night-time on Cloud Carrier Epsilon, and rather chaotic as everyone is roused awake by the news of Six' current state. The medical personnel are currently treating his high body temperature with hydration through an IV bag and pain relief medication. As Six has trouble breathing, he is wearing an oxygen mask as well. A couple of soldiers are standing guard outside the emergency room as Commandant Marshall Jon Ace arrives at the scene, having been briefed on the way by the guards who had responded to Chase' call earlier.

"What's the situation?" Jon asks a doctor as she exits the emergency room. Her face already tells Jon of bad news.

"We're currently trying to stabilize the patient," she replies, hesitant. "however, I'm not sure if this is something we're equipped to handle."

Jon raises a brow. "What makes you say that?"

The doctor gestures to the patient through the door and Jon is able to take a look for himself. Six' skin is flushed with an unhealthy red hue, Jon can even say his skin appears to be glowing. "His body temperature registered 105 °F and it's not coming down. A normal human being would have succumbed to heatstroke a long time ago," she shakes her head in a way that suggests she has a hard time comprehending it. "His physical capabilities are astounding, to say the least."

Jon can relate. Six is a clone so it's logical to assume that the extent of his physiology exceeds that of a normal person. That is Klipse' trademark practice, after all. Jon would know that better than any. "This particular prisoner does stand out from the rest," Jon agrees. "Will you be able to prevent his condition from worsening?"

The doctor rubs her neck with uncertainty but nods. "We'll certainly try our best, sir. But if he doesn't show any sign of improving within the next few hours, I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do for him."

"Perhaps not. But I might know someone who _can_ do something."

* * *

It feels like ages since Six was taken away, and Chase feels like a wreck. He is restlessly bouncing his leg on the floor and constantly shoots nervous looks at the room where Six is admitted. His father has gone in earlier, at Jon's request, and Chase hasn't seen him since. Jinja's hand closes around his and Chase' leg ceases its movement. She had been the quickest to get dressed and find Chase and supposedly, the rest of the team aren't far behind.

"Chase, you need to calm down. I'm sure Six will make it."

Chase shakes his head, uncertainty and guilt muddling his thoughts. "You don't know that. It's been hours and nobody's telling me _anything_. For all we know, he could already be—"

"Worrying will get you nowhere," Jinja says a bit firmer. She places her other hand on his shoulder and squeezes. "Breathe. Clear your head. And trust that he'll get better."

Chase sighs, deep and weary, but nods his head. He closes his eyes and tries to relax as Jinja told him to. All he sees behind his eyelids is the look of pained anguish on Six' face, the details of his recurring vision and reality mixing into a cruel concoction that leaves him unable to think of anything else.

* * *

Jeredy has long since left the hospital room, having exchanged words with Jon briefly before rushing off to his laboratory with a tablet in hand. Chase has been given a blanket and he keeps it loosely wrapped around his frame as his team is sitting around him. They have offered him words of encouragement, trying not let their overall confusion show regarding Chase' reaction to Six' hospitalization and he could tell. They are waiting for an explanation and Chase has none to give. His eyes are glued to Six' room.

Upon seeing Jon and his father approach them, Chase dares to ask, a tad too hopeful. "Is he going to be okay?"

Jeredy gives Chase a certain look before he decides to speak and he remembers that look well. It's the same one that his father wears like a glove whenever Chase asks a difficult question, why he works so late, where his mother is, why he left Chase behind. The look that warns him of future disappointment, whether it's in the form of empty promises or—

"Six is stable, for now," Jeredy states. "The problem is that he won't continue to be."

—unpleasant news.

"But why?" Chase asks urgently, his blanket slipping past his shoulders to crumble on the floor. "I've never seen him like this before. What happened to him?"

"As you can see," Jeredy brings up the tablet he has been carrying, the screen displaying the current state of Six' body and its internal workings from scans. "It appears that Six is dependent on a specific substance for his body to maintain its structural integrity and normal bodily functions. Because of his imprisonment, he was unable to get that substance and his body has begun the process of deterioration."

Chase' friends all look equally surprised and worried. Chase feels sick himself, his eyes glued to the worryingly high body temperature along with other descriptors in red letters. _Severe dehydration. Rapid heart rate. Labored breathing. Chest pains._ Chase tears his eyes away from the screen to look at his father, feeling every bit as powerless and afraid as when he was four and asked for the first time why mom wasn't coming home anymore. "Is it — is it something you're able to make for him?"

Jeredy grimaces at this. "Yes and no. I would think it's a very _tailored_ substance, created to work with Six' particular DNA in mind. It's crucial to his continued existence after all, but it's something I've never attempted to work with before. So I won't be able to recreate it from scratch with the time and resources I have available."

It isn't a definitive no and that is more than enough for Chase. He stands up at once, his rejuvenated resolve keeping him steady against the vertigo from his frazzled nerves. "But you could if you had the proper instructions or some kind of template, right?"

"Absolutely," Jeredy agrees. "Though, the quickest way to get those would be through—"

Chase is already running before his father is able to finish his sentence. There are shouts coming from his friends, from Jon in the background, telling him to slow down but he barely registers it, opting to push them to the back of his mind. Chase quickly makes his way to the prison cells, to the far opposite of where Six' is located, where the more dangerous prisoners are detained.

"Klipse!" Chase calls out with utter contempt. He bangs his fist loudly against Klipse' cell door for emphasis. "Wake up!"

There are sounds of scrambling on the other side, alongside a string of curses. "What is the meaning of this?!" Klipse shouts indignantly from inside his cell, his face appearing in the small open slot of the door.

"Six is dying. We need to know where your hideout is to save his life, so tell me!" Chase demands, his words coming out in a rush.

Klipse' brows furrow at Chase' ordering tone. He lets out a harrumph, clearly unfazed by the command given. "You're bluffing. And quite frankly, it's a pathetic one at that. If Jeredy wants my remaining research destroyed, I would think he would send a more _capable_ person to extract the information out of me."

Chase is silenced by that, his mouth hanging open slightly. Under normal circumstances, it isn't strange to think that Chase may be lying but the lack of hesitation means Klipse hasn't even stopped to consider Chase is telling the truth either. No weighing of pros and cons, just an immediate jump the conclusion of a bluff rather than parental concern for his own son. It stops Chase for a second and completely baffles him. Anger takes over shortly after that.

"I'm not _lying_ , Six is really sick! He needs something to stay alive that you used to give him, and dad can't save Six if he doesn't have the information to make it!" Chase stresses, desperation seeping into his voice. Time is ticking and he will be damned if he spends whatever little time Six has left trying to convince Klipse to be a decent person for once in his life. Chase points towards the hallway for emphasis. "Either you tell me where your hideout is, or you go out there and save your son yourself!"

Chase is breathing irregularly after that, adrenaline and fear pumping through his veins while Klipse is the one rendered silent. Klipse turns away from the door to walk back into his cell.

"I refuse," he says, a chilling note of finality to his deep voice. "Dying has always been part of Six' duty to me. I'm sure he himself would also tell you that."

There is a persistent ringing in Chase' ears in the ensuing silence after Klipse speaks. There are footsteps approaching but the sounds are mere background noise to Chase, smothered sounds that he can't quite put together and process properly within his tired mind. All he can hear in his head is Six' voice, so terribly clear amidst the discord of his thoughts.

_I wasn't strong enough to protect my father and he is suffering because of me._

"You absolute _lowlife_ ," Chase snarls, angrier than he has ever been. His hand slams hard against the door once more. "Six loves you more than you deserve, and this is how you repay him? How can you do this to him? He's your _son!_ "

"Chase!" Chase feels Jon's arms circle around him and pulling him away from Klipse' cell door, even as he is kicking and screaming. His friends are standing by, helplessly watching Chase' display of anger with shocked expressions. "That's enough!"

"He can't do that!" Chase screams angrily, his voice breaking. Jon's heart breaks too at the sight.

"I'm sorry," he says, and that too carries something heavy with it. Chase stares at Jon with incredulous eyes before he feels his will to fight drain from him.

There is wetness in his eyes as they leave the prison facility, hot tears slipping down his cheeks as his friends take over and guide him back to the waiting room of the medical bay. As he is ushered to sit down, Chase hangs his head and weeps silently while Bren strokes his back comfortingly and Jinja holds his hand.

_I'm sorry, Six._

* * *

Chase is pretty quiet afterwards. After his emotional episode, he has been given a glass of water as well as something for his headache, and then urged to sleep. He is currently resting his head on Dax' shoulder, his eyes — puffy and red from crying — are half-lidded and on the verge of closing. His friends are still sitting around him, making idle conversation in between the time that they had been waiting, conversations that were mostly short and quiet. Chase is immensely grateful for their consideration.

They find themselves approached by Jon an hour later. He looks at Chase while he speaks but Chase doesn't react to Jon's presence. "Klipse has disclosed the location of one of his secret laboratories. Strike Squad has been sent out to retrieve the data we need."

Chase' eyes flies up at once and settles on Jon. "What?" he says, his voice thick with drowsiness.

The rest are both surprised and elated on his behalf. Dax in particular has a hard time wrapping his head around the good news. "You got _Klipse_ to squeal?" he inquires. "Good on ya, boss!"

"I know what you're thinking Dax, but I didn't do anything to Klipse to get him to talk. He was. . .surprisingly willing to tell me," Jon replies, eyes fixed on Chase' face. "A change in attitude that I'm sure Chase is responsible for."

"Thank God," Jinja says as she wipes the corners of her eyes. Bren claps Chase' shoulder with a smile.

"Isn't that great, Chase? Six will get better and it's all thanks to you!"

Chase can barely believe his ears and frankly, he thinks he might be dreaming up all of this. Nevertheless, he greedily latches onto the optimistic and positive energy that everybody is exuding, daring to keep his hope alive yet again. _He's going to be alright_ , they tell him and for the first time tonight, he finds himself believing it. He lets their reassurances wash over him as he closes his eyes, putting him to sleep like a lullaby he hasn't heard in years.

* * *

Chase finds himself in his own bed when he wakes up. There is a dull throbbing in the back of his head, and he feels sluggish in a way that suggests he hasn't slept for long. The lighting inside the room is considerably brighter and he realizes that it's the morning light. With a start, Chase sits upright in his bed and sees that the others are asleep in their respective beds. What happened while he was asleep? Is Strike Squad back from their mission yet? With a renewed sense of alarm, Chase stumbles out of bed.

Chase has the mind to quietly make his way out the room before he goes to the medical bay. He enters Six' room a little more urgently than he would have liked and finds everything to be rather peaceful. The machine monitoring Six' heart rhythm beeps at a regular pace, the room itself is quiet and devoid of visitors. Six appears to be asleep without his oxygen mask, his skin sporting a healthy pink color compared to the angry red it was mere hours ago. Chase spots an IV bag administering a strange red fluid into a needle poking through Six' forearm. _The substance._

Strike Squad had pulled through and so had his dad.

Six is safe. Six is _alive_.

For the first time in the past twelve hours, Chase feels utterly relieved, to a point where he is sure he is going to cry again. Instead, he collapses onto a visitor's chair next to the bed and breathes out shakingly. He holds his head in his hands, rubbing his face before pressing his palms together in a silent gratitude to whomever might be listening. _Thank you._

* * *

There's a knock on the door and Chase looks up.

"I figured I would find you here," Jon says with a slight smile as he enters Six' hospital room a few hours later.

Before his arrival, Chase had been brought a tray with some light breakfast on it by his team. They had stayed with him to talk for a little, filling him in of what had occurred after he had fallen asleep. Chase had kindly accepted their help and promised to give them a thorough explanation of the Six situation in the near future, something which they rightly deserved.

Jon takes a seat next to Chase. They are both looking at Six' sleeping form, observing the steady rise and fall of his chest. "Anything new to report?"

"Not really," Chase replies with a shrug. "He's been sleeping since I came. A nurse was here earlier and told me his body temperature looks much better now."

Jon nods at that. The ensuing silence is filled with the sounds of whirring machines and the occasional beeping. "You know, eventually I'll have to ask why you were checking into the prison facility so often."

Chase twirls a coin around in his hand instead of meeting Jon's questioning gaze. "Didn't Beyal tell you?"

"Beyal explained that you had visions about Six that you were trying to get rid of but that's all he knows," Jon adds. "Nobody can decipher why you reacted the way you did last night."

Chase catches his coin in midair and lets his eyes settle on Six again. He takes in a deep breath. "I talked to him every night. At first it was just to try to get the visions to stop but we got to know each other, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him and this situation that he's in. He's. . .he's just a kid, Jon."

"I know, Chase."

Chase continues on and Jon sees that it's less about explaining himself to a superior and more about opening up about something troubling him. He lets Chase speak. "Six _always_ looks out for Klipse and expects nothing in return. He looked out for me when he wouldn't tell me about his condition the entire time we talked to each other. He never worries about himself, I just thought—" Chase says, his voice wavering. "—it's so sad and it's not _fair._ "

If there is one thing Chase has gleamed from his nightly conversations with Six, it's that Six is a very caring and honest person. And so tragically self-sacrificing. What Chase initially saw as misplaced loyalty, was a shallow view of a child desperately seeking the validation and love only a parent can provide. And Six is clearly willing to do anything it takes to do right by his father in order to earn that love.

Chase can easily identify with that feeling.

Contrary to him, Six has no one to fall back on without his father while Chase can't imagine what he would do without the help of his friends. How is that right? How is that fair? "I couldn't help but keep thinking 'who looks out for Six? Who's there for him?'"

Jon puts a hand on Chase' shoulder and smiles at him, touched and strangely proud by Chase' compassion. "Evidently, you are."

* * *

Six awakes from the fading orange light of a sunset painting the inside of his eyelids red and warming his face. Unlike the searing heat his body experienced earlier, he feels strangely tranquil with the light spilling out to cover his entire bed.

Wait. The window in his cell wasn't large enough to do that.

As his eyes properly adjusts to the lighting, Six discovers that he is in a hospital bed. The memories of how he came to be here are rather foggy, but he guesses that it had to do with the illness that had weakened his body greatly for the past week. He is surprised S.T.O.R.M. would even admit him to medical treatment in the first place, given his past crimes.

As Six rises to sit in his bed, he notices someone hunched over in their chair and sleeping by the foot of the bed. _Chase_. He is bathed in the orange and hues of the sunlight and wearing a peaceful look on his face. A bit of drool falls out the side of his mouth and the sight of his sleeping form makes a slight smile appear on Six' face.

There is no doubt in his mind that his recovery is all thanks to Chase.

"Sweet dreams, brother," Six whispers as he settles back into bed. By the look on Chase' face, Six reckons that would be the case.


End file.
